


Silence is Golden

by missbecky



Category: Marvel Avengers Movies Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-16
Updated: 2012-08-16
Packaged: 2017-11-12 07:15:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/488151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missbecky/pseuds/missbecky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You can take away the arc reactor, but you still can't shut Tony up. Steve's doing his best, though.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Silence is Golden

**Author's Note:**

> Fair warning: this is written entirely in dialogue. There is rampant ellipsis abuse. I regret nothing.
> 
> Also, have I mentioned that I can't seem to do humor without angst?

"Tony? Oh my God, Tony, what are you doing here?"

"I. . . Oh shit, oh fuck, oh _shit_."

"Oh my God, the arc reactor. It's pitch black in here and I should be able to see it. . . Where is it? What happened?"

"What do you think happened? They took it!"

"Why. . . ? How did you even get here? They've held me for two weeks, have you been here all this time too? I don't understand."

"Grabbed me. . . on the way back from a board meeting. Oh God, I am seriously fucked here." 

"How long can you go without it?"

" . . . don't . . . I don't know . . ."

"Think. Just think. Stay calm. How long?"

"I don't . . . A week, Yinsen said a week."

"I don't know who that is. But a week? That's plenty of time. We—"

"No. I lost some of that time. I don't know . . ."

"What do you mean, you lost time?"

"There was . . . Obie . . . I don't know, I don't know."

"Tony, you're not making any sense. Talk to me."

"Ob— _Obadiah_. Stane. He took it. The first one. I don't know for how long, I was out of it, I don't know."

"He took the arc reactor."

"Yes."

"How long was it missing?"

"I don't know. I keep telling you! _Fuck_."

"Okay, it's all right. Stay calm, just stay calm."

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one who just had his heart ripped out of his chest."

"Aren't I?"

" . . . the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You're so smart, you figure it out."

"Okay, and we've officially reached the delirium stage of tonight's entertainment."

"Shut up. Just . . . stop talking."

"Wait . . . what are you doing?"

"I said, shut up." 

"You shut up."

"Breathe. Just breathe."

"Oh _God_ , shut up. And you didn't answer me. What are you doing to me?"

"I'm putting my arm around you in a sort of one-sided hug."

"Yes, thank you, Captain _Obvious_. I can see that. Er, feel that. I want to know why."

"You're trembling. Are you cold?"

" . . . a little."

"Does it hurt?"

"No."

"Okay. You should probably try to get some sleep."

"Some asshole with really bad onion breath just reached into my chest and pulled out the only thing keeping me alive – all in an effort to make _you_ talk, because big strong brave Captain America wouldn't break after two weeks of torture – that's pretty cool, by the way, and hey, are _you_ okay? – and anyway, now Mr. Onion Breath has kidnapped me and is using me as leverage against you and you want me to _sleep_? Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Don't swear. It's vulgar."

" _I'm_ vulgar."

"No, you're not. You just pretend you are. You're really shaking. Are you sure you're okay? Oh, and I'm fine, you know I heal fast, but thanks for asking."

"Glad to hear it. And I'm as fine as I can be when I'm dying in a cold black cell with my face smushed up against Captain America's shoulder."

"Oh. Sorry about that."

"Hey, look, I can breathe again. Sort of. Hmm. This seems to be a problem."

"You really should sleep, Tony."

" . . . I'll try. Is that good enough for you?"

"I guess it will have to be."

"Don't sigh at me."

"Sorry."

"What happens next?"

"Well, I was hoping you would actually shut up for once and sleep."

"Yeah, about that . . ."

"Tony."

"Cap."

"I don't know what happens next. But I do know that it won't work. What they've done to you. I'm still not talking."

"You better not, or I'll have to kick your ass. I wouldn't go through this for just anybody, you know."

" . . . "

"Cap? Steve?"

"I know."

"Oh my God, are you—"

"I'm sorry, Tony. I'm so sorry."

"Shit, you are."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't. Don't you dare. Don't."

"I can't. . . They did this to you because of me."

"If it wasn't you it would have been someone else sooner or later. Don't think you're so special."

"Gee, thanks. I feel so much better."

"My work here is done."

" . . . "

"Uh, Steve? What are you doing?"

"Nothing. Why?"

"You're rubbing my back."

"I am? Yeah. I guess so. You're still trembling though, and I thought . . . Is this okay?"

" . . . Sure."

". . . "

". . . "

"You. . . Are you actually snuggling with me?"

"No!"

"I think you are."

"I think you've taken too many blows to the head over the past two weeks and now you're the delirious one. I don't snuggle."

"I beg to differ. You are definitely snuggling with me right now."

"Well, I don't have much choice. You've got me pressed up against you. And may I remind you – dying here."

"Stop. Don't say that."

" . . . "

"Tony. We will get out of this. It's gonna be okay."

"Oh, I know."

"You sound pretty confident of that."

"That's 'cause I am."

"Well, that's good. At least one of us is."

"Come on, Steve. Have a little faith in me."

"I do. You know I do."

"Oh jeez, you're doing the puppy dog eyes, aren't you? I can't see them but I can _feel_ them."

"Very funny."

"Actually, no it's not. Those things are lethal weapons. I'm surprised Fury hasn't made you register them yet."

"Ha ha."

"You could go head to head with Natasha, your puppy dog eyes versus her entire arsenal. Although, come to think of it, I'm not sure who wins that one. The eyes have a certain advantage, but she's—"

"Tony."

"—so dangerous it's scary. Her—"

"Tony!"

"—entire body—mmf!"

" . . . "

" . . ."

" . . . "

" . . . "

" . . . "

"Well. Wow. Okay."

"You had that coming."

"I take back every comment I ever made about you being cold-blooded."

"You . . . What?"

"Kissing. Means you're hot-blooded. Get it?"

"I get it. I wasn't. . . I just wanted you to stop talking."

"Sure. Okay."

" . . . "

"Are you blushing?"

"No!"

"Liar."

"I don't lie."

"Yes, you do. You just aren't any good at it."

"Tony."

"Uh-oh, I'm talking again. You better kiss me and make me shut up."

" . . . "

" . . ."

" . . ."

"That was nice. Remind me to pick up where we left off once we get home."

"O-okay. Wait, did you hear that?"

"Sure did."

"What is it?"

"That, I believe, is the very welcome sound of Mjolnir shattering stone."

"Thor!"

"And I'm pretty sure that was the Hulk doing what he does best: smashing."

"How did they find us?"

"I told you, have some faith in me."

"But. . . how?"

"The arc reactor. It's trackable. Pretty clever, huh?"

"You knew. You knew they would grab you and use you to try and make me talk."

"Seemed like a safe bet."

"Why you?"

"I can think of several reasons. As you so shrewdly observed when we first met, I am nothing outside the suit. I'm easy to break. But mostly because they knew it would be most effective if they grabbed me, because of how you feel about me."

"How I . . . What . . . I . . . "

"Easy, Cap. Breathe."

"Don't laugh at me!"

"Not laughing, I promise. It's actually getting hard to breathe myself here, I don't think I could laugh if I wanted to. But seriously. You really didn't know?"

"I . . . Everybody knows? _You_ know?"

"Cap, even the bad guys know. Why else do you think I'm sitting here with a gaping hole in my chest?"

"I didn't . . . Tony, oh my God. Listen to me, you are _not_ nothing outside the suit. I was wrong to say that, you know that, right?"

"Sure, it's fine, we all said things we didn't mean that day."

"I've learned so much about you since then, how amazing you are, how brilliant—"

"You know, normally I would love to hear you wax poetic about how awesome I am, but we're really going to have to save that for some other time. (Seriously, it's a date.) So for now, because breathing is really starting to be an issue here, can I just say that it's okay? And I feel the same way about you."

" . . . you do?"

"Yeah. I do."

"Oh my God."

" . . . "

" . . ."

"They're getting closer. Are you going to be okay? Can you make it?"

"Sure."

" . . ."

"Maybe you better kiss me again. Give everyone an eyeful when they bust down that door."

"No! That's . . . not right."

"So? Kiss me anyway. I'm dying here, remember? Aren't you supposed to grant my dying wish?"

"Oh God. . . "

"I—mmmmf!"

" . . . "

" . . ."

"Tony."

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"This. Almost dying for me. Finding me. Everything."

" . . . "

"Okay, now you _are_ snuggling."

"You know what? I think you may be right."

"That's what I thought."

"You know what else? I think I'm about to pass out, and/or go into cardiac arrest. Just giving you a heads-up."

"Oh my God. Seriously?"

"I—Ahh! Yeah, you better call 911."

"Hold on, Tony. Just hold on."

". . . holding."

"Hold on. They're almost here. Just hold on."

"Yeah."

"Tony."

" . . . "

"Tony!"

"Yeah."

"I love you."

" . . . "

"Tony?"

" . . ."

"Okay, it's okay. Just keep breathing. They're here. See? It's Thor and Black Widow. They're here."

" . . . "

"Tony, look. The arc reactor. Natasha grabbed it. Here . . ."

" . . . "

" . . ."

" . . . oh."

"Tony?"

" 'm here. Ahhh. . . "

"Tony, oh God."

"Mmm, hug. Nice. You – You're squishing me."

"Sorry!"

"Didn't say to stop."

" . . . Oh. Okay."

"Is everyone staring at us?"

"Uh, yeah. They are."

"Good. 'Cause I'm just going to stay right here like this, with my face buried in your shoulder, and pretend I can't see them."

"You're incorrigible."

"I know. But you love me anyway."

"I do."

"Yay me."

" . . ."

"Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"I do love you too."

"I know."

"Oh. Well, good. That's good."

"Tony?"

"Mmm?"

"You need to sleep."

"Yeah. I think . . . That actually sounds really good."

"So stop talking and do it."

" . . ."

"Tony?"

" . . . "

"Tony?"

" . . ."

"Sleep. I'll be here when you wake up. I promise."

" . . . "

"Hey guys? Can we go home now?"

 

*****

END


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